Betfred Super League

Leigh (12) 24

Tries: Lam, Armstrong 2, Hanley Goals: Cook 4

Castleford (12) 18

Tries: Hall, Ravalawa, Laulu-Togaga’e Goals: Stimson, Asi 2

In-form Leigh Leopards survived a scare to beat Castleford Tigers 24-18 and boost their Super League play-off bid.

Leigh went 12-0 up with two scores against the run of play from Lachlan Lam and David Armstrong.

However, Castleford deservedly hit back to level at the break through Sam Hall and Mikaele Ravalawa, who had started the day as 18th man.

Leigh’s Umyla Hanley dotted down and Armstrong added his second score to restore the 12-point cushion before Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e’s late reply.

Leopards stay seventh after a ninth win in 11, outside the play-off places on points difference, while 11th-placed Castleford will point to two overturned tries for their fifth defeat in six.

The home side were without an 18th man after losing forward Frankie Halton and full-back Bailey Hodgson, while Cas lost centre Krystian Mapapalangi to a quad injury in the warm-up, with Ravalawa drafted in.

Tigers thought they had scored with their opening attack through Jason Qareqare’s finish inside the corner post, but a video review ruled the ball had brushed the touchline in the grounding.

Seconds later, Leigh rubbed salt in the wound as Armstrong’s chipped kick infield bounced kindly for Lam to finish the move he had started.

The visitors’ missing cutting edge was punished again when Lam’s dummy created space for Jack Hughes to dart through and give Armstrong a clear run to the line.

But Tigers deservedly replied as Hall came off the bench to chase down Daejarn Asi’s deft grubber kick.

Leigh struggled for momentum, conceding a string of penalties deep inside their own territory under mounting pressure.

And the visitors made their territory and possession pay just before half-time as Ravalawa barged over in the right corner and Asi’s touchline conversion went over off a post.

But hopes of a first Cas win over Leigh since 2021 failed to materialise after the break as the Leopards extended their unbeaten run in the fixture to nine matches.

The home side needed just four second-half minutes to nudge back in front when Hanley turned on the afterburners to burst past the cover defence and touch down Lam’s grubber.

Lam was involved again as another dummy gave Armstrong space on the left edge to sidestep the last man and cross.

The visitors were reduced to 12 when Louis Senior was harshly sin-binned for a high tackle on Armstrong who appeared to lose his footing and fall into the Cas centre.

But the visitors kept coming and, after Qareqare had a second score overturned for Alex Mellor’s adjudged obstruction, Laulu-Togaga’e skipped through a gap to set up a tense final five minutes.

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Merseyside:

“There were so many stop-starts. We couldn’t build any momentum in the game and every time we got down the other end we made an error, or there was a penalty against or something stupid.

“I anticipated that would be the case with so many changes this week but we still went out there and just weren’t alive and weren’t present at times.

“So I’m a bit frustrated, but we got the two points in the end and that’s all we need to do at this stage.

“It (Leigh’s penalty count) was outrageous and not acceptable from our part, but from the other side as well, I just thought the game was ruined.”

Castleford Tigers head coach Ryan Carr told BBC Radio Leeds:

“We got our effort and energy right which really pleased me. I thought we competed really hard.

“We went six weeks on the bounce being really good like that and then let ourselves down last week which can happen, but the response is really what I wanted to see.

“We had another couple of head knocks today, Maps (Krystian Mapapalangi) got pulled out of the warm-up, Louis (Senior) got 10 in the bin and we just kept fighting, it was unreal.

(On Senior’s sin-bin): “He’s 6ft 6 and was dipping his knee down as low as he possibly could. I don’t understand that at all so I’ll get some clarification on that, but clarification after the game, the game’s gone, the two points have gone unfortunately.”

Leigh: O’Brien, Armstrong, Senior, Hanley, Charnley, Cook, Lam, Davis, Horne, Brogan, Hughes, Trout, Liu.

Interchanges: McNamara, Brown, Ipape, Vaalepu.

Castleford: Laulu-Togaga’e, Valemei, Senior, Ravalawa, Qareqare, Asi, Windley, Stimson, Golding, Lawler, Lane, Mellor, Brown.

Interchanges: Atoni, Ashworth, Hall, Robb.

Sin-bin: Senior (68).

Referee: Liam Rush.